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Avenza's PDF Maps

2013-01-09

The iPad shows a USGS topo, the iPhone has a cloudhiking map

I have a confession to make, I am a compulsive mapper. If I am traveling, I have road maps with me and if I am hiking I have trail maps with me, but regardless of the mode of travel I carry a map and check my position regularly. So it is easy to see that I like to know where I am and where I am going, but I also like to know where else I could go.

My wife indulges me. Our storage closets are filled with boxes of old USGS topos, crates of Trails Illustrated Maps, and disks from various vendors including National Geographic, MacGPSPro, and Garmin. If we go somewhere, we have maps.

In recent years a new venue has appeared and the mapping industry has gone crazy with the smart device mapping apps. It is exciting times. Now, I can also have a map on a smart phone or tablet. How much better can life be?

Well, by making maps and then being able to upload them to a smart device! Wow!

Avenza is a mapping software company from Canada. When we began to get serious about mapping we chose Avenza because of their Apple computer compatibility and unique idea of working as plug-ins to the Adobe products - Illustrator and Photoshop. Another selling point to Avenza was the promise of an app, PDF Maps.

The application has been available for about a year. PDF Maps reads PDF documents and more. With a geo-referenced PDF map the smart phone's integrated GPS locator moves on the map! The app is packed with other features, check the site for more.

So for a few PDF Maps notes ...

The app is currently only available as an ios app (Apple).

The app works on iPhones, iPod Touch, and iPads. Newer devices are able to use more features. Check the App Store for compatibility.

The app is free!

Many (to most) of the maps to download from the 'Store' are also free!

The Map Store has most of the USGS topos.

Vendors may sell their maps through the Map Store.

We hope to sell geo-referenced cloudhiking.com maps from the store at an affordable price some day soon.

A few screen shots (of sorts) ...

PDF Maps Set-up Page

PDF Maps - Map Locater

iPad with USGS topo

Download the app, Avenza's PDF Maps. If you are into maps, you will love the app, but be warned, it can be addictive.